COVINGTON, Ky. – A street project aiming to give people a more warm welcome to Kentucky and the city of Covington will also expand outdoor dining.

What You Need To Know

  • Smoke Justis owner Richard Dickmann asked city commissioners for 50% of a $130,000 project that will expand and replace the existing sidewalk along Court Street and improve other amenities next to his business

  • Dickmann said he thinks it will create a more compelling gateway for people walking into the city across the Roebling Bridge

  • The project also designates the area as an “entertainment” district and will eliminate six metered parking spaces to free up parking spaces

  • Community members see the as rife with possibilities for growth and opportunity

Now that summer is here, people like Addie Mann like to eat outside when they can. Soon, the place Mann chose to eat her lunch on Tuesday will have more options to do just that.

“I think it’s genius, honestly. Pre Smoke Justis being here, it wasn’t very busy down here. And I think since they’ve put in, Frausthaus has come in, Hayden’s come in. I think there’s going to be a lot more traffic down here, and I think having more opportunities and spaces for people to eat is what’s best for Covington,” Mann said.

The Covington Board of Commissioners recently approved a request to spend $65,000 in funds set aside for infrastructure projects to nurture economic development. That money will enhance and widen the sidewalk outside of Smoke Justice in the Roebling Point District.

Zachary Evans is also a fan of the idea.

“I think it’s nice. I think we could use a little bit more space to be outside around here. I think that it would be enticing,” Evans said.

But Evans does raise the question of whether more sidewalks are needed.

“I think they’re a really great and beautiful thing, but sometimes there’s ways they could be better, and I wrote an essay on the oppression of sidewalks. Sometimes they imply and promote too much of a straightforward a-to-b thinking. They’re not always great for your shins. They can give shinsplints. And in that way I think that I’m a little bit opposed to sidewalks as a natural element,” he said.

Shin splints aside, Smoke Justis owner Richard Dickmann asked the commission for 50% of the $130,000 project that will expand and replace the existing sidewalk along Court Street and improve other amenities next to his business. The TIF agreement is with the building owner, LSOP, LLC., with whom Dickman has a 21-year lease on the building.

Dickmann said he thinks it will create a more compelling gateway for people walking into the city across the Roebling Bridge.

“What’s important to me is not only that my business thrives but also the community and surrounding area does,” he said.

The project also designates the area as an “entertainment” district. The project will eliminate six metered parking spaces, but Covington Economic Development Director Tom West said he thinks it’ll be worth the tradeoff.

“When you come across the bridge, now you can see folks dining outside, patio umbrellas, a lot of vibrancy, versus some parked cars,” West said.

Despite the elimination of parking spaces, Dickmann said the proximity of the sidewalk to the county garage will bring more attention to the large amount of parking in the district.  

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